Egeria
by sarrel
Summary: How Ra's Queen came to hate him and rebel, creating the Tok'ra.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** This is something I threw together over a weekend and wasn't sure what to do with. Actually, for the most part, I just went through all the involved character's back-stories (Both from the series, and the various mythologies) and meshed them all into this. (For instance if you look up Egeria, you'll probably find mention of Numa, a legendary second king of Rome.)

It's really short, not necessarily the best and I don't think I split it into chapters all that well, so if you have any suggestions, grammar corrections, anything, don't hesitate to mention it.

* * *

Egeria shifted uncomfortably on her throne. The uprising was only getting worse. First it had started in one of the naquadah mines. It was unfortunate, but she had seen the conditions. She wasn't honestly surprised, and she would have offered better ones if she could have gotten away with it. Unfortunately, Ra wouldn't be away forever. As powerful as his brother had become, Apophis would eventually have to concede the lands he had invaded back to him.

I the meantime, the uprising had only continued to grow, and showed no signs of stopping. It now covered three additional naquadah mines, eight minor temples, and two major ones. She would never be able to peacefully bring it to an end without risking her husband's ire, and it was getting worse. If she didn't do something before he got back, she didn't know what he would do.

She hadn't always been so afraid of him. Ra had always been selfish and greedy, but when she had first agreed to be his queen, he was much more sensible. He was never lenient, but he never punished anyone unnecessarily. He understood that to incite too much fear in his subjects would never end well for him. It was much better to rule sternly, but fairly. He never would have become leader of the system lords if he hadn't the wit to match his Ambition.

It was that damned sarcophagus. It was a gift from a minor goa'uld, Telchak. He had come to Ra saying he had invented a wondrous device that would greatly increase his health and longevity. It might even allow him to live forever. Egeria never had time for it at first, as it had arrived in the middle of her spawning cycle. Not only was she too busy breeding most of the time, but even when she wasn't actively spawning, she didn't know what it would do to her children. Not that it didn't eventually steal her children from her anyway.

Both Hathor and Sekhmet had become particularly taken with the thing. When she first voiced her concerns to them, they ignored her as children often do, but they became more vicious as time went on. First they became paranoid, and accused her of sabotaging their good health, but the wild accusations eventually gave way to more direct threats. She hadn't been on kind terms with either of her surviving daughters for over five hundred years.

* * *

"My queen?"

"Yes, Numa?"

"I know you asked not to be disturbed, but the jaffa guarding the Chappa'ai received a messenger from Ra. He has been victorious against his brother and is on his way back to earth. They are currently at Abydos and will stay five days for minor repairs. After that they should arrive within three days, and the fleet will stay here while more systematic repairs are conducted. Meanwhile, your daughter Sekhmet has acquired a new host, and will arrive by Stargate in a few days when she feels well enough to travel."

"Was she injured in battle?"

"It is likely. Pardon me, but we both know Sekhmet has a bit of a bloodthirsty streak."

Egeria sighed,"I know. I've told you of my suspicions on that subject?"

"Yes my queen, but I do not have your years, and so cannot confirm it."

Egeria poked at her food for a bit before finally managing to eat some of it. Starving herself certainly wasn't going to solve anything.

* * *

"Egeria!" she flinched instinctively at the sound of his voice. When he was upset his voice gained a tone that quickly escalated into a melodrama worthy of ridicule, but she knew that it wasn't a laughing matter. He never hurt her directly, or he would risk the viability of her prim'ta, but he knew she had a weakness for her human slaves. When he was upset with her one or two of them would go missing and turn up in odd places around the palace with anything from their eyes to their skin missing. He was of no compare to Sokar, but he had become capable of more cruelty than she ever could have imagined a few thousand years before. She turned slowly to face him, trying to maintain an inoffensive posture.

"What I have done to deserve your ire, my lord, and how may I regain your favor?"

"I left you in command of my remaining army and my slaves. I trusted you to keep them, but you allow them to rise up and even speak of killing me! Do you mean to destroy me?"

She felt herself blush as she struggled to keep from speaking her mind, as it would only make matters worse,"I am sorry my lord, but you know very well that I am no warlord. I simply could not control the masses as your great power and wisdom allows you to."

Ra paused, and Egeria could almost see his pride battling his viciousness inside his mind. Finally, he seemed to come to a conclusion, and made a somewhat ominous request before leaving.

"If you see your daughters, please tell them I have some work they would rather enjoy."


	2. Chapter 1

"Hathor, it is good to see you. I knew you arrived with your father, and I am disappointed you did not come to see me."

Hathor stopped in the middle of the hallway, but didn't face her. There were a few long moments before she finally spoke,"Mother, of course you were disappointed. Is there another way you think of me? You take no pride in the power I have gained in father's ranks. But you have no right to judge me. You have no power at all; you are weak. Father told me about your last host." She paused again, possibly to see if her words had any effect, before continuing her self-important swagger down the hall to Ra's throne room.

* * *

"Sekhmet, Hathor, my two favorite daughters, who valiantly led the fight against my brother Apophis. You have helped to assure my victory, and so too have assured your place in my kingdom. And even so, I have an even greater gift to offer."

Egeria moved her weight to her other side, and still not being comfortable, shifted back. The meaning was meant for her of course, that her daughters were favored for the moment. Hathor would probably replace her as queen someday. Ra had a particular way of talking, where he would talk to others, but she knew he was talking to her. Sometimes he would glance over to her while speaking, but more often it was just the way he said things. An intonation that wouldn't be there if the words were meant to be taken at face value. It was his way of officially maintaining the loyalty of what was currently his only fertile queen, but at the same time, making it clear that he was displeased with her.

"This slave population has become too unruly for my taste. It might be better to start again with tau'ri from one of my other worlds. Tau'ri that have respect for the work their god commands of them."

Had Ra always believed he was a god? She could never really be sure. She had always liked to tell herself he joked about it in the beginning, the idea that the silly primitives thought he was a god. That was funny, wasn't it? And if it helped control them, if it stopped the petty tribal wars so that they could contribute to a greater effort, a culture, a civilization even, that spanned the stars, it was okay to use it. He hadn't put the idea there in the first place, and he certainly hadn't believed it. Not in the beginning anyway.

"You, my precious daughters, may have the pleasure of carrying out my will on these people. You may do however you see fit with them. I do request that you make a suitable example of them. When I bring slaves from elsewhere in my domain, I wish them to know what will happen if they are disobedient."

She had been expecting something like this. She hoped he wouldn't feel it was worth the effort, but he wasn't really even punishing the people anymore. He wanted to get to her. He wanted her to understand he knew she was weak, she was under his rule, and he was going to do whatever he wanted with his subjects. Most importantly, he wanted her to know there was nothing she would ever be able do about it.


	3. Chapter 2

"I was hoping he wouldn't go to the effort of killing them all and moving slaves from elsewhere just to make a petty jab at me. I can only hope this doesn't continue to get worse."

"My queen, perhaps you are taking this too personally. Perhaps Ra's words are to be taken at their plainest?"

Egeria spun quickly to face the lotaur, and he almost dropped his tray of fruit,"This is the same as when he... just... on a bigger scale,"she sputtered. She hadn't told Numa what might become of him if she angered her husband too severely, and she hadn't been planning on it.

"Of course. I am sorry."

"And now you're being so condescendingly agreeable. I detest it."

"Shall I go?"

"No. I need someone to talk to." She collapsed into a chair to the side of the room, and shook her head,"That is not true. I need someone to talk at. You need not say anything. Numa stood awkwardly in the center of the room, still holding the tray,"You may set it on the table." He did, and returned to his position, standing, waiting, quietly.

"My daughters have become even more violent. I am sure now more than ever that when Hathor becomes fertile, and she will soon, she will replace me as queen. She would have the full support of Ra, though she would likely rather kill me herself." She glanced up at Numa, but the lo-taur hadn't moved. She wasn't sure if he truly had nothing to say, or if he was following her order. Probably both. "There is nothing I can do to help these humans, just as certainly as there is nothing I can do to prevent my own demise anymore." Still he said nothing.

"Even though I fear them, I still care for my beloved Hathor and Sekhmet. The sarcophagus will eventually drive Hathor to complete madness. I believe it has already done so to Sekhmet. There is nothing I can do, the spirits of my daughters are twisted almost beyond all recognition, all tau'ri on this planet soon will be dead, and I will be as well shortly later. It is all so unnecessary, so senseless. I thought Ra and I would help them. I thought we would bring peace to the galaxy together, but I have failed." Numa continued his silence, and despite her earlier statement, she was becoming rather unnerved.

"Speak!"

"I am not sure what I would say my lady. These matters are beyond my comprehension."

She bit her cheek and eyed him crossly. She thought about yelling at him, but that wouldn't be fair. Her anger wasn't meant for him.


	4. Chapter 3

Hathor and Sekhmet walked arm in arm down the hall towards the hangar. They would be leaving within the hour for what had been Zipacna's realm before this entire world fell under their father's domain. The cargo ship had been laid out with everything they could possibly want, Ma'tok, Zat'nik'tel, Hara Kesh, even experimental chemicals. Beyond that were an assortment of sharp objects and various other torture devices. And the basic comforts of course.

"Daughter!"

Sekhmet's face twisted into a sneer as Hathor turned to face her mother. Sekhmet circled around beside her sister and glared over her shoulder as Egeria stopped a small distance away, afraid to approach further.

"Please do not do this. I have faith that my daughters may still be inside somewhere."

"Weakling! You are not worthy of the title of queen. She who could not even control her host. When I return, the title shall fall to me. I know, Sekhmet knows, even most of the palace Jaffa know that father had to find you a weak enough host that you could control her. A woman so profoundly stupid she barely even had the ability to think for herself while she was human. If you are not strong enough to control a host, what makes you think you are strong enough to stop me from claiming my rightful place?"

"I might throw myself on the mercy of Ra. If nothing else, my lack of ambition ensures my loyalty."

"Father will not be able to save you." Hathor turned back to her path, linked arms with her sister, and they both continued towards the hangar.

* * *

Egeria opened her wardrobe and pushed her hand back under the line of robes to feel down to the bottom. It had been over three hundred years since she'd bothered looking for it, but her fingers fell into the little groove that indicated the hidden compartment, and she gently worked a nail up under it and eased it open. It was a simple, almost primitive way of doing things, but sometimes primitive was best. It was harder for them to find primitive.

The compartment was lined with lead to stop anyone from feeling the contents, not her husband or his subordinates, not her daughters, not the jaffa. When she opened it, she felt that familiar tingle of naquadah. Pushing her hand down inside she found her healing device first, but pushed it aside. She might need it later, but for the moment... her Kara Kesh. She pulled it out of the compartment, the little gold finger caps jingling.

She flopped into her chair rather unceremoniously as she finished fitting the tips over her fingers. After a cursory inspection, it looked to be in good condition. It had been a long time, but these sort of things were meant to last. She wasn't sure if she wanted to start wearing it again or not. There was no doubt she'd need it, but that had to be balanced with whether or not it would be effective, and more importantly, how much suspicion it would raise. Ra, for one, would certainly know something was awry if he saw her with it. At least, he would know she knew something was going to happen, and that she planned on doing something about it. It had the potential to be disastrous.

Additionally, it would likely not do any good against Hathor, and it definitely wouldn't hold back Sekhmet. Her only real option at this point seemed to be going to Ra and begging for protection. Ra might prefer to have a queen he could keep control of easily. Still, this could not be guaranteed, and depending on how much she believed Hathor wouldn't make idle threats, Ra's favor might not do any good. Hathor could just kill her anyway and then Ra wouldn't have many other choices if he still wanted to be able to produce his own jaffa.

There was one last option, but it sickened her to consider it. That it had even crossed her mind was shameful. It wouldn't be hard to convince Ra that Hathor, perhaps in collusion with her sister, were plotting against him. Honestly, she was less sure that it wasn't true. She wouldn't even really have to find solid proof, just something that looked like proof. From there, Ra would do all the work of constructing an elaborate, and most likely baseless plot against him, and punish them as he saw fit.

More importantly though, they were still her daughters. Even though outside forces had driven them to madness and evil, wasn't it possible that it might still be fixed? Didn't she owe it to them to find a different way? Maybe if they were separated from the sarcophagus for long enough, they might return to normal, and understand that their previous actions were wrong. They might join her again, and together they could set everything right again. Even if they really were just evil, wouldn't it make her evil to do to them the same crimes they committed against others?

When she finally admitted it to herself, she'd been considering this option for a long time. Things had been only getting worse for the last two-hundred years, and recently they were deteriorating even faster. As much as she had tried in the past to convince herself that her daughter's survival was beneficial to everyone's well-being, they were about to wipe out an entire planet's population, and she knew they would never stop there. They would never want to stop, and Ra would only ever encourage them.


	5. Chapter 4

Hathor's clothes were never modest. Even the garments meant for colder weather were revealing on some level. Looking through the wardrobes and chests, Egeria tried to shake this off, knowing that for a young queen, any leverage you had was useful. At least Sekhmet had some decency. She didn't quite know what she was looking for, but she'd know it when she found it.

Or when she didn't. A thought occurred to her and she knelt down, feeling along the floor under her daughter's wardrobe first, then the other pieces of furniture. The floor was seamless marble from what she could tell, there weren't any hidden compartments in the furniture, and she couldn't sense the naquadah power source the device would require. Even if there were places to hide it, there wasn't any reason to hide what she was looking for, it had been a gift from Ra, and everyone knew about it.

* * *

"Husband?"

Ra didn't answer verbally, just turned his head slightly to acknowledge he knew she was behind him.

"Your daughter moves against you."

He turned his head forward again to continue what he had been doing as he let out a small chuckle,"Of course she does. She has the appropriate amount of ambition given her bloodline. She will not move for several centuries, however, and in the meantime she will give me many more jaffa."

More chastisement directed at her own lack of ambition, of course, but she did have more information to offer,"Her Bodice is missing."

"So?" He was trying to sound indifferent, or maybe just annoyed, but the apprehension creeped it's way in.

"She would only have it if she intended on creating new jaffa. I can hear in your voice that she has not told you. Do you even know how many jaffa in your own rank are loyal to her? Perhaps she will not move against you now, but do you really want to trust her to not move her new soldiers against you?"

"She would never attempt it; It is a foolish plan, and she could never hope to succeed."

"Boldness is a trait you always encouraged in both her and her sister. Whatever her own beliefs in her power, she wouldn't succeed, but we both know it would leave you weak, and the System Lords would no doubt hear of it."

There was a long silence in which she could see him starting to shake with anger, before he finally shouted,"Leave!" The melodrama edged it's way into his voice again, and she wished she could be happy about it. For the first time in over a century, his anger was not directed at her, but the impending fate of her daughters, and the knowledge that it was her own doing was a sickening thought. Egeria meekly ducked out of the room and scurried back to her own quarters.

* * *

He was seething, she noted. The jaffa were marching around in the sand in perfect little formations, spinning their Ma'tok around as they completed their training maneuvers. Egeria wasn't the best judge of such things, but they seemed to be doing quite well. Ra had likely not noticed, and if anyone made the mistake of asking, their death would be unpleasant. When his first prime did finally approach, she wasn't surprised to see him actually kick the unsuspecting jaffa off the platform. She wasn't sure exactly how he fared, only that either he or his corpse was being dragged into the pyramid a short time later.

"Is something bothering you, husband?"

"Be quiet", he spat. She turned back to face the open field, knowing full well he would not manage to keep his thoughts to himself for long.

"You were correct." he continued,"That miserable child thought she was fit to plot against me. Her sister was bold enough to believe her."

"And?"

"I have taken care of it."

"You have killed them."

"They only wish."

She left it at that. To inquire further might shift his anger back to her, and that wasn't something she was willing to risk for the knowledge of exactly what horrors she'd unleashed upon her own children. She waited a few months to be sure, but with Hathor and Sekhmet having betrayed him, their initial mission was all but forgotten.


	6. Chapter 5

Even having solidified her position as Ra's queen, Egeria was still not comfortable. Her two surviving children were likely dead or worse, and she had done so by ingratiating herself to someone she was only coming to hate more and more. It wasn't even so much a displeasure with her own situation as it was with the situation of everyone in general. She hated that the humans, the unas, and the jaffa were enslaved. She hated that Ra and the system lords thought it was reasonable to do so, or even that it was their right to do so. Most of all, she hated her host, and the entire tradition behind the process.

Hathor had been right, this host's mind was particularly weak. Egeria couldn't tell if she really never had any profound thoughts, or if she was just that easy to push out of the way. Either way, it hadn't been hard to take over. The host itself was probably brain dead at this point. She'd tried talking to it, asking it questions, but she never answered with anything even approaching coherency. The memories were shallow and vapid, and really only concerned things such as the opposite sex and and her training to become a priestess in Egeria's temple. How she had ever been considered for the priesthood was beyond her, but the point remained that the girl didn't have a single worthwhile thought to her name.

This is what she'd been forced to resort to. Her last host had been unbearable, but not for the reasons her daughter suggested. It was never impossible to take control of the host. It could be hard, if the host was particularly willful, and especially after you had been inside them for long enough. It would become difficult to tell whose emotions were whose, and sometimes if you weren't watching, they would suggest things. But if she really wanted to, she could shove the host's mind into a tiny box inside itself, where it couldn't see anything, feel anything, and if she did it properly, they couldn't even think. All Goa'uld knew how to do it, generations of memories taught them how.

Egeria was no different in that regard. Egeria was different because she didn't like it. She could feel the host, squirming in the darkness, swimming around in a dark pool with no eyes and no feeling, not knowing if they would ever see the light of day again. She remembered feeling that way herself, and it terrified her to think she was capable of inflicting it on someone else.

That was why she found her current host so disgusting. There was no middle ground as she had before. She was either in the host and in complete control of it, or she was out and in her own dark little corner. Either way she could sense the darkness, and it was awful.

* * *

"Numa, I'm leaving."

"Yes, Mistress. When will you be returning?"

She had packed two sets of clothing, in addition to what she was wearing. Would it be enough? They were among her more hardy garments, not that she really had any. She went to the wardrobe and pulled out her healing device and kara kesh. She saw Numa flinch when he saw the latter, but he relaxed somewhat when he saw her put it into the bag.

"I won't be returning."

"My queen?"

"Ra will be greatly angered. You must tell the other slaves to split up and run away as well. I suggest you go north and hide. The naquadah mines in that region are sparse, and most of them have run dry. The local slave populations have, for the most part, been abandoned. You will be safer there more than anywhere else. Without me to witness your death, you will likely not be worth his time. Leave within the hour." He paused, obviously confused and she shouted,"Go!" He nodded quickly and left.

* * *

As soon as she was through the Chappa'ai, she turned around and quickly dialed a new address. She had spent the last two months looking through the records. Looking for old, abandoned worlds, places Ra and the other system lords had no use for, had all but forgotten. There were hundreds of them, and she was determined to leave a path at least a hundred long, through the territories of his worst enemies and back again. If he wanted to hunt her, he would have to go through Apophis, Lord Yu, Anubis, and many, many more.


	7. Epilogue

The Jaffa pushed her along the hallways of the palace roughly. She'd almost lost count of the years that passed since she had seen these halls, but Egeria still remembered every corner they shoved her into, every sconce that lit the way, and every glyph on every wall. They finally pushed her into the throne room, and threw her forward so hard she tripped and fell flat on her face. She struggled for a moment to stand with her hands behind her back, and finally got herself sorted out after a few moments of less than graceful squirming.

Ra had aged. He had, of course, changed hosts since she last saw him, but so had she, and it was definitely him. Even so, there were many years behind his eyes, and it gave her a perverse sort of pleasure to note the frustration that was apparent on his face. For the first time in his presence, she held her head high and her shoulders back. She wasn't afraid anymore.

"I see you have found yourself a new queen." She nodded in acknowledgement to the rather ostentatiously dressed woman sitting next to him. She herself had given up the opulence she experienced in the palace, and was instead dressed in more sturdy and utilitarian fabrics, brown and green to match the forest she had been hiding in.

"Well I had to, didn't I?" He sneered,"Do you know what you've done?"

"Yes." She replied, the smirk never leaving her face, and her eyes matching all the intensity of his,"I have caused more trouble for you than any of the system lords could have hoped to. And I have found a new way for our kind to live. A better way."

"You have brought about the eventual end of our species. We cannot afford to be weak."

"It is you who will cause the end of all Goa'uld. Your slaves will not take your abuse forever. They will rise against you, and they will send you away, if they don't kill you first. And my children will work with them to this end."

"Your children are being hunted and killed as we speak. You, however, will not be so lucky."

"Will I be imprisoned the same as... the same as those who I formerly called my daughters?"

"For all eternity."

"My children will find me. The next time I look through a host's eyes, it will be to see one of my beloved, come to my rescue. We care for each other. That is what it means to be Tok'ra."

"I will send you where they will never find you. I will tell them you are dead, and they will not look for you for fear of being killed themselves. You will suffer, alone, in the dark, until the end of time itself. Rip her out of the host and imprison her. Kill the human when you are done."

Egeria could only smile as they took her down towards their dungeons. She would tell them nothing through torture, and the host was proud to die for such a cause. Most of all, she knew her final words were right. Her children would find her, no matter how long it took, and no matter how far they had to go. Her children were strong, they knew how to rely on one another, and they knew how to rely on their hosts. They would both end and far outlast the Goa'uld.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Please give me a quick review, even if it's not that detailed, just whether you overall liked it or not. Also, if you see any glaring grammar errors, please tell me so I can get them sorted around.


End file.
